A surgeon credited with transforming the lives of his patients, one of whom still remembered him decades later, has died at age 94. Dr. Peter Joseph Marchisello, who split his time between Bayside, Queens, and Florida, died March 24 of aspiration pneumonia, surrounded by family at Glen Cove Hospital, his family said.

Marchisello’s work greatly impacted his patients, including one he treated nearly 30 years ago who cried next to his coffin. “He was an amazing man and he gave me a much better life because of what he did for me,” Suzanne Beltrami of Westbury, said, her voice cracking. “Because of him, I led a normal childhood.”